Critical Review between Google and Yahoo
Critical review between Google and Yahoo
The growth of the web is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable innovations in the history of records and documentation. Virtually, the use of the web for obtaining information has been widely welcomed by millions of individuals across the world. Search engines provide better retrieval strategies when compared to other engines such as metasearch databases or library federated searches. Google, Yahoo!, Bing, and Baidu are examples of web search engines that offer access to websites. However, search results from one search engine differs from a similar search result using another engine because of several factors. These factors include relevancy analysis, crawling reach, and frequency of updates. For this reason, performance capabilities and limitations differ and this can form the basis for conducting a critical review concerning the capabilities and limitations of search engines. This article provides a critical review search engines by comparing Google and Yahoo using performance elements and capabilities that are critical in attracting users.
Before conducting the critical analysis between Google and Yahoo in terms of search engine optimization, it is emphatically crucial that the meaning of a search engine be described first. A search engine refers to a service that makes use of a computer program to conduct an internet search and locate items that match the keywords and characters typed in by the user. While a search engine provides the best strategy for locating articles, the major limitation is the difficulty in narrowing down results to the preferred topic. Equally, it is quite difficult to verify the legitimacy and validity of information produced from the search query because search engines lack control mechanisms and anybody is capable of adding information on the web.
Search engines operate by storing information concerning a wide number of pages that are retrievable from the web. A spider or web crawler performs the retrieval functions by following any possible link it deems desirable. In turn, it analyzes the contents of each page in order to determine the criteria it should use to index the page depending on the Meta tags it uses to extract the information. It then stores the data collected from the search in its index databases for later retrieval. Indexing also enables best-matching results based on key words entered by the user.
Google vs. Yahoo!
Power Search Capabilities
Google
Google search services gained prominence at the beginning of the 22nd century and its search success can be attributed to PageRank and the idea of link popularity. This concept of PageRank is built on the premise of the number of suitable or desirable page numbers being linked to one another. Google search contains a vast index of websites and other web content that are maintained by the company. The company then avails this information through its search engine to any individual who can access the internet. Google search technologies play an important role in sorting through the information in order to deliver useful and relevant search results depending on queries from the user. Other than the Google Site Search available on the home page, Google also offers the Google Chrome browsers that helps users to discover content more easily
Other search technologies include the enterprise search technology mostly used within enterprises inform of Google Search Appliance, intranet applications, real-time search for business applications, Google Commerce Search, and Google Maps and Google Earth Enterprises. The Google Books platform also provides a free application where users can search books, access books in the electronic bookstore, and utilize content from printed books online. The Google eBookstore also enables the company to sell electronic books.
Yahoo!
Yahoo provides search services through its search and marketplaces offering segment, which is specifically designed to generate quick answers to search queries. Information needs are delivered based on search, local, and listings experiences on the Yahoo website. Primarily, Yahoo’s search services include Yahoo! Search and Yahoo! Local, both of which are provided free of charge to users. Microsoft plays a role in the provision of algorithmic search results a search agreement with Yahoo whereby Yahoo maintains the role of developing and launching features aimed at improving the experience users obtain from using Yahoo! These features include Contextual Search Results, Search Direct, rich results, site filters, and suggestions on related topics. These search services (particularly Yahoo! Search applications and experiences) have been extended to other interconnected devices that include tablets, smartphones, and PCs. Yahoo Local offers users access to local and hyperlocal news, events, business listings, deals, and other important information that is tightly integrated into Yahoo! Maps.
Ease of use
Google Corporation provides service that is utilized as search engine and emails while Yahoo Corporation is an internet service that provides news, directory, emails, and search engine. The two corporations have frequent unique visitors who use the internet service to satisfy their needs it is evident that Google Corporation launched an email service in early 2004 where clients were able to use Gmail service, which has storage of 1GB. Yahoo also launched a service that gives internet users 2GB of storage capacity and this capacity was taken out giving the user freedom of saving to an unlimited capacity. Storage capacity gives the clients sufficient space to save their documents and files a service that allows a client to work from any location in the world.
Google and yahoo have friendly user interface that allows the user to operate effectively and effortlessly. When a client is searching any material online, registering to a website, or logging into an email both corporations have large visible buttons allowing the user to locate and press what they require. In addition, when visiting new sites in both Yahoo and Google the user is able to access instructions that guide them in getting the information they require.
The search engines of both corporations have sufficient information from all sorts of fields and the client is able to obtain the required information almost instantly since they are extremely fast. Lastly, almost all the information provided by the corporations is free, which makes it attractive to everyone regardless of age. When a service is free, individuals such as students prefer using it since it makes their life easy in these hard economic times.
Advertising
Virtually, online advertising forms the major source of revenue for Google and the company concentrates in offering products and technology that support online advertising. Google offers advertising tools and services from simple text adverts, display ads, publisher adverts, and as well as mobile adverts. Advertising services are offered under AdSense, AdWords, and Google display. AdWords delivers adverts that are relevant and useful to web search queries or web content that users are looking for. AdSense delivers ads from Google AdWords ads which provide relevancy to the given search query. Google display involves texts, images, videos, and other form of interactive adverts. YouTube provides a plethora of interactive video adverts that can enable advertisers to reach their intended audience. In addition, YouTube also provides analytical tool that enables advertisers to obtain an understanding of their business. Google mobile provides an optimization of Google applications to fit mobile devices.
On the other hand, Yahoo generates much of its revenue from its Yahoo marketplace platform where users can research information on specific products or services. These services include Yahoo Shopping, Yahoo Travel, Yahoo Autos, Yahoo Real Estate, and Yahoo Small Business. Listing and transaction fees from these services provides the revenue-generating platform for the company. Offering advertisers targeted solutions in terms of search retargeting and behavioral targeting enables Yahoo advertisers to reach clients in their customer base using insightful information.
Reliability of information
Information available in Google and Yahoo emanate from various sources. Information available is in form of eBooks, articles, reports, online magazines, dictionaries and encyclopedias written by famous authors, scientists, philosophers and other great writers who have published their work in all the fields available on earth. It is evident that information available in the internet is diverse and from both reliable and unreliable sources. This is an indication that some information has been tested scientifically or using any parameter to validate it while some information is untested. Information is gathered from web spiders where the search engines collect information immediately it appears online. However, the reliability of information cannot be proven to 100% accurate because of lack of control and verification in the information uploaded.
It is evident that Google has more reliable information than yahoo does since information provided in the search engine is rated according to the search hits. According to research yahoo ranks its information according to what an organization pays the corporation which is an indication that the corporation does not have a standard measure on how to rate the accuracy of information. Qualities of reliable information include immediate access, which is an indication that the search engines provide reliable information on demand. Individuals access information when they require by typing in the URL and pressing the enter button in their computer. Results are instant and information can be utilized when required.
It is evident that Google search engine has reliable information since an individual can access information through different additional plug-in available. An individual can search maps, images, web, and Google scholar. This service allows the clients to navigate effortlessly through the search engine in order to access information available in any form. It is evident that the Google maps are accurate and reliable since they reflect the exact location of buildings and streets.
Information Acquired
As earlier mentioned, the range of reliability of information collected from search engines cannot be accurate because any individual is capable of posting to the internet because of lack of search engine control. This idea also formed the major limitation against search engines when compared to metasearch engines. Google and Yahoo searches are both automated searches and the type of information acquired from the search depends on the capability of the search engine to index such information. Google and Yahoo searches use different algorithms, which is critical in determining the type of information that can be generated. Google algorithm are concentrated in linking back links while Yahoo algorithms are defined to pay attention to text and content. This means that a search result whose content contains enough Meta details, it is certain to rank high in a Yahoo Search as compared to a Google Search. Google’s back-linking strategy enables it to deliver a strong internet searches. For this reason, it gives more attention to off-page priority than the attention allocated to on-page priority.
Conclusion
There is no doubt the competition between Google and Yahoo is very tight with each search engine trying to outcompete the other in the provision of internet searches and applications. Even though the two companies seem to share similar internet DNA, they adopt different strategies in order to attract users and increase its advertising capabilities. The companies compete for generating increased web traffic and as well in increasing the volume of revenues that can be acquired from advertising. Similarities in the services offered by the two companies include free email services, social networking, shopping information, video and image searches, maps, and brand advertising. The ability of any of these companies to dominate the search market is dependent upon the factors examined above. The following chart provides an overview of statistics scored by the two companies when compared to each other.
Source: Google Images
In terms of search power capabilities, Google ranks higher than Yahoo because Yahoo algorithms are defined to pay attention to text and content while Google’ algorithms depend on the Google’s back-linking strategy that enables it to deliver a strong internet searches. This can be attributed to the fact that most internet pages contain similar information and are closely linked to each other. The second comparison involves advertising. While most revenues generated by Google comes from advertising using programs such as AdWords, AdSense, and Google display, Yahoo depends on Yahoo marketplace platform where users can research information on specific products or services by paying listing fees. Examples of these revenue-generating services include Yahoo Shopping, Yahoo Travel, Yahoo Autos, Yahoo Real Estate, and Yahoo Small Business. In this comparison, Google wins because its advertising strategies are quite stronger as compared to those strategies employed by Yahoo.
The third strategy involves the ease of use when using the two search engines. While each company targets unique visitors, Google provides service that are most used in information look up and mails while Yahoo’s services are mainly news, directory, and email related. Both companies have done well in providing an easy user interface to improve the experience of the visitors. Google and yahoo have friendly user interface that allows the user to operate effectively and effortlessly. However, the less volume of information and adverts on Google’s homepage makes it easier for the user as compared to Yahoo’s homepage, which has more links and adverts.
Concerning the type of information acquired, both Google and Yahoo searches provide automated searches, and the range of information acquired from the search depends on the capability of the search engine to index such information. Different algorithms are used by each of these companies hence having a great impact on the type of information that can be generated. Finally yet important, the reliability of information that can be accessed from the two search engines are acquired from different sources. Higher ratings and access to more web pages and databases increases the reliability of information searched using Google.
